by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

by Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and his wife, Ashley, have made their involvement with the Pat Summitt Foundation more than a symbolic one.

The couple plans to donate $500,000 to the foundation, which helps fight Alzheimer's. Summitt announced in 2011 she had early-onset dementia and retired last year after 38 seasons as the women's basketball coach at the University of Tennessee. Manning played quarterback for the Vols from 1994-1997, and he serves as an honorary co-chair on the Pat Summitt Foundation advisory board.

The Mannings' donation is the largest to the foundation since it was established in November 2011.

"Both Ashley and I believe it's imperative we make our own personal contribution to advance this critical work in addition to serving in a volunteer capacity with the foundation," Manning said in a statement. "We are hopeful others will follow Pat's lead and come to the aid of the more than five and a half million Americans impacted by this disease."

Manning presented Summit with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY Awards last summer.

"My mother and I are humbled and very grateful for this most generous gift from Peyton and Ashley Manning to our Foundation and for their willingness to lend their names and leadership to our fight," Summitt's son Tyler Summitt said in a statement.